There was a time this spring when Riley Mathieson figured his shot at playing in the North America Cup had passed.

Despite being one of the highest-ranked U19 golfers early in the Canadian Junior Golf Association season, it wasn’t until after Mathieson, 17, played the CJGA event at the Stratford Golf and Country Club in late June that he was invited to join Team Canada’s 12-player roster for the Ryder Cup-style tournament against the U.S. July 24-26 in Caledon, Ont.

Mathieson won two of his three matches, and Team Canada beat the Americans 14.5-9.5 to clinch back-to-back titles for the first time in the event’s 17-year history.

“I am so happy for the players and the effort they put forth,” CJGA Team Canada non-playing captain Ryan Shaw said afterwards. “From the moment we came together at the residence, I could tell this group would be special. They bonded on and off the course, and I think that went a long way in them digging deep and playing for each other.”

It’s been a mostly upward eight-year journey for Mathieson, who took up the sport when he was in Grade 4. His short game developed quickly, and he played in several local events before joining the London-based Tyson Tour.

“I was shooting low numbers and I realized I was good,” he said.

Mathieson teamed with local coach Chris Dickenson and spent 18 months refining his swing. He started playing CJGA tournaments and meeting with schools, following a similar path taken by Stratford’s Trent Zorgdrager, who played in the North America Cup last year and landed a golf scholarship at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

“It just helped my confidence and being able to feel comfortable in pressure situations,” Mathieson said. “It helped me to become a golfer that was physically able to deliver shots that needed to happen when I was up against the point of no return, (and) also being able to mentally pull myself together when I was under a lot of pressure.”

Mathieson birdied his first hole at the North America Cup and relished the match play madness, something that might not have been possible in previous years.

“For me it was really exciting,” he said. “Things didn’t just change after each hole, they changed after every single shot, so it was incredible to watch.

“The experiences this year are what got me to this point in being able to make the team. Once I was there all the hard work was done, and it was time to go enjoy it. With all my teammates there, I was in a real comfortable place and I found a groove at the tournament that helped us to win.”

After a pair of victories helped give Canada an early lead, Mathieson’s only blemish was losing to a Boston-based opponent whose putter was on point.

“It was kind of rough to leave the tournament like that, but since we won it was a great ending,” he said. “I did my part the first few days. I won my matches and took care of business, and the rest of the team helped me out on the last day.”

That team extends beyond one tournament. Mathieson’s coaches, family, friends and employers have been instrumental in his development.

“It’s a real team effort that’s helped me get here,” he said, “and it’s going to be a team effort that helps me stay here.”